Monday, March 7, 2011

Worth a read: Drawn to Stitch by Gwen Hedley


A random gift from my husband, a couple of months back, was Gwen Hedley's Drawn to Stitch: Line, Drawing, and Mark-Making in Textile Art. I had hoped to get a copy eventually and was surprised and happy that hubby follow his whim. I've been exploring the book a bit at a time. It's quite a unique find among the textile art books I've seen.

For the past couple of years - I've been smitten with stitched lines in apparel, pillows and such. I do some stitching on paper and keep needles dedicated to paper only at the ready in my cork board. I suppose an interest in line is at the root of my love for pintucks. There are countless fabric manipulation techniques I would like to explore more in-depth. In the past days it's been shirring. However, I am trying to better surrender myself to the limitations of any given day and get better rest. Oops. Big digression there.

Back to the book... It was a privilege to read of the artist's interpretation of lines and processes to employ in achieving various textural qualities. I believe this book is just another boost for me toward more readily recognizing the lines that surround me every day. Gwen's page-long discussion of pebbles as a source of visual reference raised my brow in that I am always struck by the bands around and surface marks on stones. The stone pictured below was a gift from my oldest daughter. Given that my inspiration board has been stagnant - largely untouched - for too long, this little piece of nature and others like it might creep more and more into my designs.




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